ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE

Opener `Improv to the Other Side' is the band at their most unhurried and joyous, a floating drift of slow-burn guitar dreaminess and flighty synth trills, reminding instantly of their previous `Out Into Space' live release from 2015 that saw the band at their most chilled, and it takes flight for an up-tempo sprint in the second half. The dusty violin that weaves in and out of `Sneaky Snake Jam' sounds like Embryo's `Steig Aus' making sweet love to the Ozric Tentacles, with permeating eastern moods infiltrating the lightest of near-reggae touches and swirling synth wisps between biting guitar wails and strident percussion stomps.

The instantly up-tempo groover `Henk's Jam-o-Rama' that kicks off the second disc straightaway picks up in fire with a flurry of relentless drumming urging the piece constantly forwards, a snarling chugging guitar grind rising over spiralling synth effects that captures a Hawkwind-like grunt (and dig Dr Space's manic electric piano run in the middle!) before a smouldering wail to simmer down on in the climax.

The tough `Freaks of Berlin' is overloaded with slithering, dirty and bluesy twin guitar and bass grooves, but best of all is the closer `Another Jam for Sabine'. This cracking jam begins as a laid-back eastern-flavoured meandering raga, all wisps of Theremin flitting about relentless percussion patterings, rising/falling synth winds and ragged violin cuts, eventually melting into a manic, thrashing and punishing surge of mantra-like guitar strangulations before the most mellow of come-downs.

You can't go wrong with any of the ØSC releases, but `Live in Berlin 2018' particularly boasts a perfect balance of alternating tranquil and frenetic moods, frazzled heavy grooves and endlessly out-of-control drumming behind infectious synth-noodling! If unpredictable and vibrant psych/space jams are your thing, no one do them better than this crew.

Four stars...and don't delay in picking up one of the 500 CD copies - not many left!

I should say that that the current entry of "Chatoyant Breath" is not exactly correct. It would be more right to present here the full album version which consists of 5 tracks clocking in at approximately 136 minute. And this full-version is available only as 2xCD edition:

CD 1 - 1. Peaceful Patterns (28:37) 2. Chatoyant Breath (36:08) CD 2 - 3. Angular Ambrosia (28:02) 4. Turbulent Trepidation (23:21) 5. Celestial Sensation (19:23)

Why it's important? First, because vinyl/digital versions do not include "Celeatial Sensation" - while it's one of the two tracks featuring all three guitarists in the ØSC line-up: Gary Arce (of Yawning Man, Ten East, Zun, etc.), Nicklas Sørensen (of Papir), and Nicholas Hill (of The Univerzals). Second, because the original flow of the album is broken in the vinyl/digital versions - consider that some tracks on the album are bridged, like "Peaceful Patterns" and "Chatoyant Breath" on CD1. Just have this in mind when choosing to purchase your version of "Chatoyant Breath".

Anyway, this album in some way differs from ØSC recent recordings as there are no any aesthetic or stylistic ideas-visions behind it. This is free-loose-end impro-instrumental Jam-Rock in its purest and natural form though tinged with multiple synth-space effects. The soloing, improvising, and dueling guitarists as well as the grooving rhythm section featuring bassist Jiri Jon Hjort (of The Univerzals, Fri Galaxe) and drummer Martin Bjerregaard (of Psyched Out Janis, Fri Galaxe, The Univerzals, Gas Giant, etc) are at ground zero throughout the music context. It doesn't mean that the role of synth-gurus Dr. Space and Mogens Pedersen (of The Univerzals) is not important though - without the cosmos of swirling-n-bubbling effects generated by these two, the music would probably be similar to primordial Desert-Stoner/Acid-Rock jam from early 90's.

But what we have here is excellently crafted Psychedelic-Space-Rock instrumental improvisations in a wide range of moods and emotions - from more spaced out , relaxed, and exploratory jams (on CD1) towards more weaving, riffing, tickling and scratching your mind action tracks (on CD2). Summing up, everyone who enjoys improvised instrumental Psyche-Rock beyond compositional forms will find quite a lot catching and mind-bending things on "Chatoyant Breath". Not to be missed!

Mysterious sitar strains ring through `Reflections in the Mind's Eye's fizzing synth winds and placid ambient washes that gradually grow in urgency, a plodding beat taking a head-nodding trance-like hold and rattling with menace, as droning distortion and strangled guitar shards coil together into a fuzzy storm. `ESP (Extreme Spatial Perspective)' surges with bouncing electronic programming racing alongside relentless pounding drums, fizzing synth spirals and wailing electric guitar embers that twist into ethereal reaches before rumbling mud-thick bass reverberates into a heavy grooving stoner sludge in the climax - phew!

Covering sides three and four of the LP, `The Oracle's creaking electronic drones lap at drowsy sitar mediations and dusty wind- swept violin reaches that flit between frantic and airy around enveloping rising/falling synth pools. Lethargic and splintering electric guitar tendrils ring and chime with the same ethereal reaches as the early Pink Floyd improvs, groaning into the heavens over washes of electronic distortion and exotic percussion. It soon turns into a strident slow-burn guitar jam that comes roaring to life over hypnotic synth caresses before a mellow violin come-down to close on.

`Hallucinations Inside the Oracle' makes for a fine fusion of East meets West psychedelic/space music, one that compliments in parts the (two to date) ØSC-related Eastern-flavoured `West Space and Love' LP's beautifully, and both `...Oracle' and the above- mentioned `Dr Space's Alien Planet Trip' deserve to be placed alongside the finest albums of the year for space-music fans.

Four stars.

The near-forty two minute title-track barely slows down for even a second, remaining high-energy and unrelenting almost the entire time! It holds plenty of fuzzy distortion, thick murmuring bass ruminations, sparkling electric piano and fizzing synth trills, with much attention placed on the slow burn but dominating electric guitar and fiery drumming, although sprightly violin and pedal-steel guitar also weave dreamily throughout the second half. `Visions Of...' lightly echoes the classic late Sixties/early Seventies live Pink Floyd performances in several spots, and along with some brief scratchy reggae-flecked moments, it makes for a great example of the sort of music the ØSC musicians frequently deliver so well.

The liner notes of the album mention Miles Davis' `On the Corner' as an inspiration, and sure enough `Above the Corner' is a Seventies flavoured infectious groover of sly funky guitars, slithering liquid bass and shimmering organ! Ambient rising/falling synths wash over droning eastern-flavoured guitar effects and hypnotic African drums slowly build in stature and danger in `Piece of Seven', and `Around the Corner' returns to gurgling funky bass and electric piano trickles over lovely floating synth wisps, with the piece really cooking as it picks up in tempo and races towards the finish with an endless blazing guitar solo, chunky grumbling bass and fierce drumming.

On this, their twenty-third release to date, the Øresund Space Collective continue their superb run of recent works, and this one has everything you could want from the band - sh*t-hot playing, cool grooves and plenty of deep-space environments, and it also reveals those surprising little flavours that make each ØSC release stand apart from the last. The `band' won't be performing as much in 2017, so it makes these releases even more vital and special, a must for lovers of jammy space-music and improvised psych-rock.

Four stars.

(and don't forget to look into `Dr Space's Alien Planet Trip - vol 1' LP, a feverish distortion heavy electronic mind-melt that sounds like the soundtrack to Edgar Froese's most vivid nightmares!)

My only quibble is the artwork, which shows a spaceship seemingly emerging from a black hole - I think the music takes us in the opposite direction.

Verdict: Recommended to fans of early Tangerine Dream or late Electric Orange - or even Tony Conrad.

Sublime eleven-minute opener `Floyd's Dream' is a hypnotic chill-out of looping electronic ripples and gentle ebbing synth washes caressing mellow chiming guitars, all reminding of the precious Pink Floyd period that stretched from `Ummagumma' to `Atom Heart Mother' in the late Sixties/early Seventies. `Khan Paan' perfectly binds eastern and western sounds as ringing sitar strains twist with swampy bluesy guitars and dusty stirring violin, `2002' is a whirring theme of humming and bleeding electronics, and `Pig in Space' an amusing and twitching distorted vocal scat interlude over wild drum soloing!

Side B's `Oscillations in D Minor' drifts as an unhurried and meditative sitar rumination over rising and falling synth breezes before staggering into heavy brooding electric guitar strains, searing violin reaches, commanding drum rumbles and thick swirling electronics. `Anybody Out There?' is carefully melancholic with restrained desolate drones behind a pleading voice calling from the ether, thankfully lifted with hopeful synth trilling in the finale, and closer `Time Compression' is a contemplative sitar reflection that lurches to life with an ocean of warm and uplifting Hammond organ.

Despite initially being fully improvised, `West Space and Love 2' benefits greatly from little bits of extra production over the course of three days (although with minimal extra takes), which gives the material the most subtle of polish but never at the expense of the spontaneity and liveliness of the original recordings. It helps to make `West Space and Love 2' an immersive and deeply atmospheric work of cosmic and earthy beauty, and absolutely one of the instrumental releases of the year.

Four and a half stars.

One continuous fifty-two minute instrumental sound collage (indexed into two tracks on the CD and spread over two sides of vinyl for the LP release) laced with an ever-present danger and howling desolation, the lengthy and obvious electric guitar soloing that frequently features heavily on their numerous other albums is mostly absent, instead replaced by dirty, brooding feedback drenched drawn-out stoner rock guitar distortion. The slightest of rising and falling synth washes drift in and out as if sighing winds, bleeding electronics seep in amongst darkly ambient thrumming reverberations, and the most fleeting of dusty Eastern flavours permeate slow-burn mantra-like grumbling guitar ruminations. A murky pattering of plodding drums slowly beat down on sanity, eerie Theremin wisps spiral with fragility and ethereal electric violin strains weep mournfully, all twisting as one in an increasingly howling vacuum. Mud-thick murmuring bass slithers amongst the shadows and jagged guitars become frequently snarling as everything together culminates with hair-pulling intensity.

Some less patient listeners will find it all a bit too vague and repetitive, and newcomers to the band should perhaps try elsewhere in their ever-growing back-catalogue first, but those who appreciate darker types of space-rock music, slower- paced stoner rock and even droning ambient styles will find this hugely immersive and deeply rewarding. Calling to mind in the briefest moments everything from early Pink Floyd, traces of the Krautrock-era Tangerine Dream albums, Agitation Free, Ash Ra Tempel and even early Nineties/`Moonloop'-era Porcupine Tree here and there, `Ode to a Black Hole' is a stark, stoned and heavy meditation that is one of the most subtle, hypnotic and distinctive releases from the Øresund Space Collective to date.

Four stars.

(Special thanks to Prog Archives member Samuel C (Meltdowner) who picked me up a CD copy at one of the ØSC concerts and even got keyboard player Scott Heller (Dr Space) to sign it for me before sending it all the way over here to Australia! Deeply appreciated, gentlemen!)

"Faked It All The Way" opens with so many intricate sounds here that blip, pulse and ping, well you get the picture. It does settle back before 5 minutes and it becomes more spacey right to the end. "Consumed By The Goblin" features spacey synths along with cymbals and some guitar. It starts to build before 1 1/2 minutes as the drums join in. I like the Fender Rhodes after 4 minutes. We're just tripping at this point. The organ is welcomed after 6 1/2 minutes along with the guitar. The guitar starts to soar around 8 1/2 minutes then the organ returns 10 minutes in as the guitar stops. It calms down around 13 minutes and this continues to the end as we get spacey winds and more. "OSC Bolero" is by far my favourite. I'm so reminded of LE ORME of all bands right here. Those melancholic synths and that beat are amazing. This is darker overall as well. Great track!

"Falling Stardrops" is spacey with bass and cymbals then a beat eventually joins in. This is so relaxed and trippy. Spoken words arrive after 5 1/2 minutes and continue until almost 7 minutes in. Guitar to the fore then the electric piano joins in before 9 minutes. "Grab A Cab" has an almost Reggae beat to it with twittering electronics and guitar helping out. That Reggae vibe ends later on though. "Moonhead" is a short spacey tune with plenty of atmosphere. I really like this and wish it were longer. "Sundown" is the over 17 1/2 minute closer. I'm not the biggest fan of this as it is often fairly subdued. Picked guitar and spacey winds join the sparse intro. It's getting louder 4 minutes in and Fender Rhodes joins in around 5 1/2 minutes. It then turns quiet for some time with synths. It's the bass/ drum/ synth show for quite a while as the guitar comes and goes.

It's certainly worth the 4 stars but I seem to get a lot more out of ELECTRIC ORANGE these days. A great start to their careers though.

Thoughtful violin whispers may glide through the twenty minute opener of the first disc `The Ride to Valhalla', but it quickly reveals a crash of unceasing and frantic up-tempo drumming and heavy guitar blasts. `Juggle the Juice' is a welcome twisted psychedelic mind-spasm interlude, and calming synth breezes float around drifting ethereal sitar strains, drowsy bass, careful pattering drums and slow-burn electric guitar in the 30 minute `Digestive Raga', another one of their most mellow and laid-back sublime moments that purrs along on toasty vibes. `The Man from Wales' is a sexy wasted guitar and gorgeous organ plod, and `Bon Voyage' is a swirling vortex of experimental electronic twitches and mud-thick distorted bass with maddening building drums.

The two extended pieces that take up the 65 minute second disc reach even impossibly greater heights. The twenty-minute `Raga for Jerry G' is one of the dreamiest, most placid, even sweetest and carefully reflective pieces ever committed to disc by any variation of the ØSC, a soothing haze of weeping sitar strings, careful violin strains, gently blowing synth winds, electric piano ​glistenings and even drowsy country-flavoured slide guitar ruminations. The ambitious 45 minute album closer `20 Steps Towards the Invisible Door' heads closer to deep space madness again, Tangerine Dream-like sequencers and loops taking on a creeping and darker machine menace, harsher electric guitar drones and a breathless rumble of rising drumming. Scratchy violin slivers dance around bubbling synths and teases of eastern flavours before exploding into unhinged electric guitar wailing like a storm, with a final effective come-down the perfect way to ease back to Earth.

The ØSC have always delivered strong albums, but that true greatness they'd always had within their reach has finally been fully realised here. If you're already familiar with the group and the sort of eclectic space music its mostly revolving door of musicians and guests can deliver, then you already know the talent on display and the colourful works they deliver with every release. But if you're looking for an introduction to the band presenting some of their best ever material, then this would also make for an ideal title to explore from them first.

`Different Creatures' is a defining release for the Øresund Space Collective, one of the most varied, special and exciting space-rock/psych releases of the year, and simply one of the best overall progressive-related releases of 2015.

Five stars.